Washing-machine.



PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904.

T. J. STEEN. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 190s.

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Patented August 1G, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE J. STEEN, OF ST. PAUL, NEBRASKA.

`WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,969, dated August 16, 1904.

l Application iiled May 2, 1903. Serial No. 5,349. (No model.)

^ To all whom,l t may concern:

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE J. STEEN, a citizen of the United`States,.residing at St. Paul, in the county ofHoward and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing-machines; and the object of the sameis to provide means whereby the washing operation may be more expeditiouslycarried on by holding the articles of clothing positively applied to a rotatable drum through which the water or suds is permitted to freely pass and contact with the clothes. 1

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, Vwhich will be more fully hereinafter described and p section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2, throughthe cover, taken in a plane to one side of that shown by Fig. 3. i

Similar' numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views. v

The numeral l designates a suds box or casing, which may be constructed of suitable material, preferably galvanized sheet-iron, and has at one end, below the upper edge thereof, a ledge 2. The box r casing l, as shown, is rectangular; but other contours maybe adopted 4at will.

To the `box or casing l a cover 3 is hinged through the medium of straps 4, securedto the opposite sides of the box near'the end distant from that having the` ledge 2, the said straps extending upwardly above the upper edge of the box and pivotally connected to the opposite sides of the cover. The cover 3 is of less length than the box 'o1' casing l, and the lower edge of the free end thereof is adapted to rest'on the ledge 2, as clearly shown by Fig. 3, and leave a space for the application of a wringer which is partially supported byv vvsaid periphery 6, and the clothes are also thus prevented from falling over against the outer surfaces of the heads, with the material advantage of being more effectively cleansed during the-operationof the machine. The

heads 5 have openings 7 therein, one in each,

to Apermit the water or suds to iiow therethrough into the interior of the periphery 6, and regularly disposed in and movable through the periphery 6 are clamping loops or holders 8, having bars 9, normally held against the exterior of the closure, and innerv centrally-bent connecting-bars 10, from which coil-springs 11 extend to oppositely-disposed similar connecting-bars throughout the series of clamps or holders. The springs 1l are arranged in diametrical planes, and each spring connects two clamps or holders, as clearly shown by Fig. 3. v The functionof the clamps or holders isto secure the articles of clothing against the exterior surface of the periphery 6, so that the water passing through the heads 5 may be brought more reliably in contact with the articles of clothing on the closure. The drum is rotatably held on stub-shafts l1, projecting inwardly from the lower portions `of the opposite sides of the cover, as clearly shown by Fig. 2, and on one of said stubshafts is an operating-pinion 12, held incontinual mesh with a drive-pinion 13, secured to the drive-shaft 14, having an operating- `handle 15 on theexterior of the machine, the

pinions l2 and 13 being inclosed by al box vor casing 16 for obvious reasons. The rotation v ing treatment of the articles of clothing; but

to render such operation more elfective and expeditious a small drum 17 is movably held in the upper part of the cover by a pivoted hanger 18, having its ends inturned and passed through opposite heads of the drum 17. The said drum 17 constitutes what may be termed a rubber and is held down in lirm contact with the periphery 6 by a spring 19, caught over one of the side arms of the hanger at its upper end and adjustably looped around a holding-bar 2O in the interior of the cover adjacent to one side of the latter. The bar 2O has notches 21 in its lower edge to receive the terminal loop or hook at the lower end of the spring 19, and for convenience in adjusting said spring the lower terminal thereof is provided with a ring 22. It willbe seen that the tension on the rubber may be quickly regulated to decrease or increase the same by shifting the lower end of the spring inwardly and outwardly in relation to the bar 20. As the drum carrying the clothes is rotated the rubber revolves thereover in close contact therewith.

rl`he improved machine will be found exceptionally useful for the purpose for which it has been devised, and changes in the proportions, dimensions, and minor details may be resorted to without in the least departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A washing-machine, having a rotatable cylinder with a reticulated periphery and ends projected beyond the periphery in the form of flanges to hold the clothes in close engagement with the said periphery, transversely-extending clamping-loops having their outer bars resting on the reticulated periphery and also provided with side portions movable through the said periphery and connected to each other within the body of the cylinder, and a series of springs having their opposite terminals attached to the inwardly-projecting portions or' oppositely-disposed pairs o` clamping-loops, each pair of loops having the terminals of one spring' attached thereto and all the springs loosely crossing each other at angles and in unattached relation within the center of the cylinder.

2. A washing-machine, having a rotatable clothes-drum with a reticulated periphery and substantially closed ends with flanges projecting outwardly beyond the periphery to provide means for retaining the clothes in contact with said periphery, and clothesclamping loops having outer bars extending transversely over the exterior ol the periphery, and sides freely movable through said periphery, the sides of each loop being connected within the body of the drum, and spring devices attached to the centers of the connected portions of the loops within the drum, said spring devices being so arranged in relation to the pairs of clamping-loops` that the latter will operate against each other.

3. A washing-machine having` a rotatable clothes-drum with a reticulated periphery and ends having iianges projecting outwardly beyond the periphery to provide side guards, means for clamping the clothes on the reticulated periphery, a roller pivotally sumiorted and adjustably disposed over the top portion of the drum and held between the llanges in contact with the said periphery, a removable cover in the upper part oi which said roller is mounted, a horizontally-disposed holdingbar in the lower part oil the cover, said bar being provided with notches in the under edge thereof, and a spring having its upper end engaging a part of the support for the roller, and its lower end loosely and inovably engaging the bar, the tension or' the spring' and the roller being varied by moving the lower end or' said spring into engagement with the various notches in said bar.

In testimony whereof l allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE J. S'll'lCN.

VitneSSeS:

WALTER B. STEEN, ALvIN JoIINsoN. 

